Someting Red

I snuck in, but I really didn’t need to sneak
You don’t see me anyway
I’m invisible to you, as ever I have been
I wanted It back from you
Because you never wanted It
You didn’t even know you had It
But, at first, I couldn’t find It
I was looking for something Red
Something Vibrant and Strong, and Thriving
But when finally, I discovered It
Perched on a dark, tiny shelf set way back in a lonely corner
Its brilliant Red had faded away
Dark and shriveled like a prune, It was
Hard and black and dry as coal
And though once It beat Strong, with a Steady, Happy Rhythm
Filled with Truth and Honesty and Pulsing Hope
Now It sat desolate, utterly still and stiff and cold
Mortified, I gently grasped it, feeling myself shudder inside
The neglect It had suffered seemed to radiate and spread
It seeped through the tips of my fingers
Up my arm, to my head then down to my core
All the way to my feet then into my very Soul
I nearly wept, but instead I was resigned
To bring It home with me and put It away
To keep it safe and sound in a warm, cozy box
Never to let It suffer such neglect, such rejection, such abandonment again
And besides, I knew you would not miss It
Because you never wanted It
You never even knew you had It…